Chapter 2

Iend up zoning out for my last two classes, not paying a lick of attention to anything my teachers say. This is a common occurrence for me though.

In my defense, I can’t get my mind off the pictures I owe Victor.

Fortunately, Lizzy has the same classes as me, and I know she’ll share her notes. She’s the smartest person I know, and I’m grateful that she has the patience of a saint.

She spends way more free time trying to teach me all the things I fail to learn in class than she should. But we’ve been friends since third grade when I was being teased because I couldn’t do division yet and she stood up for me. From that day on, I claimed her as mine. That’s what I tell myself anyway. If we’re being honest, I’m not the catch here.

I glance over at her now, admiring her beauty. She really is gorgeous. She’s got long, blonde hair, baby-blue eyes, a curvy waist and huge boobs. It’s honestly not fair. She’s stunningly beautiful, on track to be valedictorian, and has amazing parents who absolutely adore her.

I can’t even get my dad to text back once a month, and even though my mom tries, she’s honestly just too exhausted to give me more than she already does. Don’t get me wrong, I love her to death, but sometimes I feel like I’m raising her. Not the other way around.

“What?” Lizzy wrinkles her nose at me when she catches me staring, and I chuckle.

“You’re so pretty and so smart. I was just wondering if I hired a witch to perform a spell so we could switch lives, if you’d still love me or not,” I tease, making her shake her head, even as she smiles.

“First, you’re also gorgeous. Second, there is more to life than book smarts. And third, yes I’d still love you, but I’d be very annoyed. I like these titties.”

“Hey, my titties are nice!” I pout, making her chuckle.

“Quiet, you two,” Mr. Wobble snaps when Lizzy laughs a little too loudly. He thinks I’m a bad influence on her. Constantly scolding us for talking, even though all the other students are also doing it. Little does he know, Lizzy has a wild side that not many people know about.

Lizzy passes me a note when the teacher is facing the white board, and I unfold it quickly.

Lizzy

What are we gonna do for your eighteenth?

She asks me this at least once a week. As soon as I turned seventeen, she started, in fact. I typically avoid the question, but since I know I’ll be getting money soon…

Well, I was thinking maybe you’d wanna be my date for prom?

I wait a few seconds before I pass the note back to her, and when she reads my response, her eyes go wide, and her head snaps around, so she can stare at me in shock. I smile sheepishly, watching as she frantically scribbles her reply, before passing me the note back. Her wrist practically snaps off with how aggressively she shoves it at me.

Lizzy

Are you serious?! OMG, I thought you couldn’t afford a dress, so you weren’t gonna go! I thought I was going to have to force you into a hostage situation to get you to that damn dance!

I’m not going to tell her exactly how I got the money, since she doesn’t even know that I talk to Victor at all. She probably suspects that I have a crush on our older teacher, but would assume it’s one sided. Anybody would. He’s thirty-four after all. If she found out what I was sending him in exchange for cash, she’d lose her mind. Tell me I was being reckless or that it’s a mistake. She wouldn’t understand that he cares for me, and that I want to do this. To make him happy. The money is just the push I needed to get over my nerves and agree.

I guess I can’t blame her too much. I am being a bit reckless, but he’s just so handsome and kind. No one has ever wanted me the way he does. Hell, no other guys have ever even looked at me the way he does when we’re alone.

I know, but I was able to save up a little extra.

Lizzy practically vibrates in her chair when she sees what I’ve written, and smiles brightly when she passes the note back once again.

Lizzy

Let’s go shopping on Saturday.

Definitely

I knockon the door softly, checking the hall behind me, before stepping into the classroom. I feel like my chest could explode at any moment from how excited and wild I feel. Adrenaline makes my hands shake as I close the door behind me.

“Cora!” Victor smiles brightly when he sees me, and I blush slightly, feeling shy. He has a way of making me feel like the only girl that matters, and it’s an addictive feeling.

“Hi.” I walk over to his desk, setting my books and backpack down, before walking around to give him a hug. He holds me for a long moment, but I don’t mind.

The cologne he wore today isn’t my favorite - it has a spiciness that makes me want to sneeze but which also makes it hard to breathe - but I could get used to the smell, I think. Maybe after I graduate he’ll follow me wherever I take Mom. I haven’t asked him yet, but I want to.

“I’ve been thinking about you all day,” Victor whispers, before leaning down to kiss me. His kiss is soft and fast. He doesn’t linger, but it fills me with twisty butterflies. I almost feel like I can’t breathe with how excited I am.

I look up at my history teacher, wondering what it was that drew him to me. I’m attractive, I guess. But being attractive to someone isn’t the only reason to pursue them. The first time he asked to speak with me after class, I was so nervous that I’d failed a test or something. But when he placed his hand on mine, calming my nerves, I wondered if he felt something like I did.

The more he asked to see me, the more I found excuses to come see him too. He asked for my phone number after three months, and I’ve been texting him every day since.

I found flowers on my doorstep one month after we started texting, and last Friday he even surprised me in the locker room with a box of chocolates. I hadn’t seen him to begin with, since I was changing after my shower, but I had been the last girl to leave the room. At first, I nearly jumped out of my skin, until I realized it was him.

Today was the first day he asked me for a picture though. Well, such a revealing picture, anyway. I’ve sent him a few before, but these are different. I bite my lip as I think about his words. I want to see your pussy, Cora. Please send me the pictures, I don’t think I can go another day without seeing you. Don’t let me down.

“I want to keep kissing you,” Victor says, but I shake my head and pull away. I want to take things slower. I want to be sure before I do anything I can’t take back, like give him my virginity. I trust him, but I want to make sure I do this for the right reasons.

“We should slow down,” I whisper, just as the door to his classroom clicks shut. It’s so unexpected in the quiet of the classroom that it may as well have been a loud bang, and we both spin quickly to see who’s there. Only there isn’t anyone. It must not have shut all the way when I came in, and a draft just blew it closed.

“That was too close.” Victor looks alarmed, his muddy brown eyes wide, and I nod. “We should start meeting outside of school,” he suggests.

I look up, excitement filling me.

“Okay. I’m going dress shopping this weekend at the mall with Lizzy, maybe you could be there shopping for something too?” I offer, trying to mentally plot ways to sneak off to get a few moments alone, but Victor shakes his head.

“Come to the football game on Friday night. You can sneak away and meet me in my car. No one will see us if I park in the back. It’s so dark back there.”

“Okay,” I agree, even though my heart races a bit, and my stomach knots up. It’s just excitement. That’s all. Victor would never push me to go further than I’m willing, especially in the back of his car. Right?

“And here,” Victor pulls a stack of twenties out of his pocket and hands them to me. “For the pictures.”

“Just one picture,” I amend, but Victor shakes his head.

“Three. One for each hundred dollars.” He gives me a pointed look, and I agree after a moment.

“I guess that’s fair. Thank you,” I whisper, as I tuck the cash away and lean up to give him one last kiss, before I have to rush out of the classroom. The way he grabs a handful of my ass makes me gasp, but I ignore the way it makes me feel. He’s just showing me he likes me. I should be flattered, not on edge.

It’s only Monday, so I have to wait until Friday to see him again outside of history class, but at least I know for sure that I’ll get a moment with him again soon. Until then, I’ll just have to text him and work up the courage to send those pictures that I now owe him.